ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Defence
Swachhata Hi Sewa: Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh leads cleanliness & plantation activities at Delhi Cantt
Lauds Safai Karamcharis for their dedicated efforts; Urges them to carry forward the Government’s vision of ‘Swachh Bharat’ as envisioned by Mahatma Gandhi
As part of ‘Swachhata Hi Sewa’ campaign, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh presided over a special cleanliness programme ‘Ek Taarikh, Ek Ghanta, Ek Saath’ organised by Controller General of Defence Accounts  at its premises in Delhi Cantt. on October 01, 2023. The Raksha Mantri led the shramdaan activities, which included a cleanliness drive, beautification of common area and a plantation drive.
The Raksha Mantri also interacted with the Safai Karamcharis and lauded their efforts in ensuring cleanliness in the premises. He motivated them to continue working with zeal & dedication and carry forward the mass social movement launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi-led Government to realise the dream of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi of a ‘Clean India’. Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Financial Adviser  Smt Rasika Chaube and CGDA Shri SG Dastidar also participated in various cleanliness activities on the occasion.
Shri Rajnath Singh also interacted with the Principal Controllers and Controllers of Defence Accounts heading the offices of PCDA  Jammu, PCDA  Dehradun, PCDA  Jaipur, PCDA  Prayagraj, CDA  Meerut, CDA Guwahati, CDA Jabalpur, CDA  Bengaluru & CDA Chennai and reviewed the implementation of the ‘Swachhta Hi Sewa’ campaign in their respective jurisdictions.
The ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ campaign, which began on September 15, 2023, will culminate on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on October 02, 2023. As part of the campaign, shramdaan activities are being undertaken through community participation as a prelude to the Swachh Bharat Diwas on Gandhi Jayanti.
Over 20,000 officers & staff of Defence Accounts Department across more than 1,100 offices and residential colonies across the country have been undertaking cleanliness activities including removal of garbage, weeding out of files & awareness campaigns on the importance of proper sanitation and hygiene. Similar cleanliness drives have been launched at various other establishments of Ministry of Defence, Services and related organisations all over the country as part of the ‘Swachhata Hi Sewa’ campaign.
Ministry of Minority Affairs
Ministry of Minority Affairs to participate in Special Campaign 3.0 from 2nd – 31st October 2023 for institutionalizing Swachhata and disposal of pending matters
99.78% files opened on e-office in 2023; Cleanliness campaign conducted at 8 locations during Special Campaign 2.0
Ministry of Minority Affairs  is actively preparing for Special Campaign 3.0 to be organized from 2nd October till the 31st October 2023, with the preparatory phase for the campaign which started on 15th September 2023. MoMA, in continuation of the commitment to fostering cleanliness, minimizing pendency, institutionalizing Swachhata, strengthening internal monitoring mechanism, training officers in records management, digitizing physical records,
has been enthusiastically participating in the Special Campaign since 2021. It is relentlessly engaged in reducing pendency and promoting cleanliness with aim of reducing compliance burden and promoting ease of living to the citizens. Apart from the Ministry, Autonomous Bodies and PSUs under the Ministry also participated in the campaign.
The cleanliness campaign was conducted at 8 locations during Special Campaign 2.0. During the Campaign, 500 square feet of space was freed and a revenue of Rs. 3,15,000/- was generated from scrap disposal. Additionally, 1860 Public Grievances out of 2093 and 385 Public Grievance Appeals out of 387 were also disposed since December, 2022 to August, 2023. The physical files have been done away with and 99.78% files have been opened on e-office in 2023.
While continuing the ongoing campaign, Ministry of Minority Affairs is gearing up for the Special Campaign 3.0 which shall commence on 2nd October, 2023.
Ministry of Mines
Amendment of the Minerals  Rules, 2015 and the Mineral  Rules, 2015 to facilitate identification of mineral blocks for auction for grant of Composite Licence
Amendment Focusses on More Participation and Competition
State Government Constituted Committee to Assess Mineral Potentiality of Proposed Block for Auction
Ministry of Mines has notified the Minerals  Second Amendment Rules, 2021 and the Mineral  Fourth Amendment Rules, 2021 to amend the Minerals  Rules, 2015 [MEMC Rules] and the Mineral  Rules, 2015 [Auction Rules], respectively.
The amendment rules have been framed after extensive consultations with the State Governments, industry associations, miners, other stakeholders and general public.
Amendment in the MEMC Rules will enable any person, who is intending to participate in auction, to propose suitable blocks for auction for composite licence where mineral potentiality of the blocks has been identified based on the available geoscience data. A committee constituted by State Government shall assess the mineral potentiality of the blocks so proposed and recommend the block for auction. Further, amendment in the Auction Rules provide that in case the blocks proposed by any person are notified for auction, the said person would be provided incentive of depositing only half of the bid security amount in auction of the blocks proposed by him.
These amendments would encourage more participation in auction and promote competition. This will facilitate State Governments in identifying more blocks for auction of composite licence.
Background:
The Minerals  Rules, 2015 have been recently amended in June, 2021, inter alia, to provide for auction to grant a composite licence in respect of areas where at least Reconnaissance Survey  level has been completed or where mineral potentiality of the block has been identified based on the available geoscience data but resources are yet to be established. These amendments were aimed at identifying more mineral blocks for auction and thereby increasing pace of exploration and production resulting in improving the availability of minerals in the country and increase employment in the sector.
Simultaneously, the Mineral  Rules, 2015 were amended, inter alia, to prescribe bid security, performance security and other eligibility conditions to enable auction of such blocks for composite licence. Geological Survey of India  has also made freely available the database of baseline geoscience data for geological potential area in OCBIS portal for assistance of prospective bidders and other stakeholders.
The present amendment in the Rules will supplement the recent policy reforms taken in the mineral sector and facilitate auction of more blocks, thereby increasing production and mineral supply in the country.
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
Government simplifies tractor testing guidelines as a step towards ease of doing business and provide minimum government and maximum governance
In a major step towards encouraging ease of doing business and promote trust-based governance, the Government has simplified the process of testing of tractors for performance evaluation on 28th August 2023. Tractor manufacturers shall now be allowed to participate in the subsidy scheme on the basis of CMVR/Conformity of Production  certificates and a self-declaration to be given by the company that the tractor proposed for inclusion under subsidy conforms to the benchmark specifications given by Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare. Simultaneously, the manufacturer shall also confirm that the tractor model has been submitted for tests and the test report on the same shall be submitted to DA&FW within 6 months. The manufacturers shall give a minimum of three years warranty on the tractor to be supplied under subsidy.
The following process will henceforth be followed for the 4  mandatory tests:
- Drawbar Performance Test : The drawbar performance test through the use of load car may be done at Central Farm Machinery Training and Testing Institute Budni or at Mahindra Research Valley , Chennai. The manufacturers shall also have an option to get it done from any other Government authorized institute or at their own facilities provided that adequate infrastructure is available to conduct this test. In case of the test done at the manufacturers facilities, the test data as may be provided by the manufacturers shall be included in the test reports released by the CFMTTI Budni or the chosen government authorized institution, with the remarks that the tests have not been carried out by the institute and performance results are self-certified by the manufacturer.
- PTO Performance and Hydraulic Performance Test : Manufacturers shall have the option to conduct this test at their facilities and the test data may be provided to the CFMTTI, Budni or the chosen Government authorized institution for generation of the test report with a self-certification that this test has been carried out as per applicable BIS Codes. The test data as may be provided by the manufacturers shall be included in the test reports released by the CFMTTI Budni or the chosen government authorized institution, with the remarks that the tests have not been carried out by the institute and performance results are self-certified by the manufacturers. The manufacturers shall also have the option of getting it done either at CFMTTI, Budni or at any other Government authorized institutes/facilities having adequate infrastructure to conduct this test.
- Brake Performance: This test shall be done as per the requirements under CMVR. The test already done under CMVR at the authorized institutions shall not be repeated at CFMTTI Budni or any other Government authorized institutes and the same data shall be incorporated in the test reports.
The detailed guideline also provides for the process to be followed by for testing of tractors at CFMTTI, Budni.
President's Secretariat
NO CHANGE OF GUARD CEREMONY ON AUGUST 27
The Change of Guard Ceremony will not to be held this Saturday  on the Forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan due to swearing-in-ceremony of the Chief Justice of India.
Ministry of Defence
First Anniversary of Balakot Air Strikes
On the first anniversary of Balakot air strikes, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria PVSM AVSM VM ADC, Chief of the Air Staff flew a five aircraft mission at Srinagar Air Base along with aircrew from Squadrons that had participated in the operations on 26th and 27th February last year. The CAS flew a MiG-21 Type 69 aircraft along with the Commanding Officer of 51 Sqn, Gp Capt Kamran Nazeerin a formation comprising of one MiG-21, two Mirage-2000s and two Sukhoi-30 MKIs.
26 February 2019 was a momentous day as it bore testimony to the professionalism and operational preparedness of men and women of the IAF who successfully executed a very complex mission and achieved their objectives under extremely challenging conditions.
On this day, the IAF salutes the spirit, tenacity and sacrifice of its brave Air Warriors and assures the Nation of its unstinted resolve. The IAF stands shoulder to shoulder with other Defence Services in discharge of its sacred duty of defending the nation’s sovereignty and integrity.
Ministry of Home Affairs
Cabinet approves Transfer of Sashastra Seema Bal’s land measuring 5.99 acres at Tawang to the State Government of Arunachal Pradesh
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the Transfer of Sashastra Seema Bal 's land measuring 5.99 acres at Tawang to the State Government of Arunachal Pradesh for construction of a Mega-Festival-Cum-Multipurpose Ground.
Arunachal Pradesh Government had identified a suitable portion of land measuring 5.99 acres within the campus of SSB at Tawang for construction of Mega Festival-cum-multipurpose ground with parking facilities  and construction of ring road . Accordingly, they requested to transfer of the 5.99 acres land to them.
Government of India,  has already sanctioned the project titled "Construction of Mega-Festival-Cum-Multipurpose Ground with parking facilities and approach road at Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh" in March, 2016. The multipurpose ground will be used for holding various tourism festivals etc.
Ministry of Communications
Railway Ticket reservation Counter Inaugurated at Panaji Head Post office
Goa, 19 June 2023
‘Railway Ticket Reservation System’ counter inaugurated today at Panaji Head Post office. The counter will operate from 08.00 am to 16.00 pm on Monday to Saturday  for booking of ordinary and Tatkal tickets and cancellations. This is the 5th India Post Railway Reservation Counter in the State of Goa. Railway Reservation Services are also available at Mapusa, Canacona, Cuncolim and Raia Post Offices.PIB Panaji | S.Thakur/D.Rane
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Ministry of Defence
Webinar on India - Nepal Defence Cooperation Webinar and Expo held
A webinar and expo between India and Nepal were held today. The theme of webinar was “Exploring Synergies and Strengthening Defence Cooperation with Nepal”. It was organized under the aegis of Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence through SIDM.
This webinar is the part of Aero India 21 series of webinars which are being organized to boost defence cooperation and engagements with friendly foreign countries and achieve defence export target of $5 billion in the next five years.
Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India Kathmandu; Shri Anurag Bajpai, Joint Secretary , Ministry of Defence, Govt of India; Mr Ram Prasad Acharya, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Govt of Nepal and other senior MoD officials from both sides participated in the webinar. Both sides envisaged close, cordial and multi-dimensional relationship between the two nations which is based on goodwill, mutual respect and appreciation of each other’s aspirations and sensitivities. Shri Anurag Bajpai, Joint Secretary  mentioned that our cultural ties are 2500 years old when Lord Buddha was born in Lumbini in Southern Nepal whose valuable teachings nurture the society. He further said that Defence cooperation with Nepal is not a new phenomenon and is almost 70 years old when India and Nepal signed Treaty of Peace and Friendship in 1950. In accordance with the “Neighbourhood First” policy of the government, India remains a committed development partner for a stable, prosperous and peaceful Nepal.
During the webinar twelve Indian Defence Companies Ashok Leyland, BEML, Bharat Electronics Ltd, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, L&T Defence, Mahindra Defence Systems Ltd, MKU Ltd, OFB, SSS Springs, Talk PRO Radios, Tata Advanced Systems Ltd and Yaman Technologies Pvt Ltd made company and product presentations on major platforms that India can offer.
The webinar was attended by more than 100 participants and more than 100 virtual exhibition stalls have been set up in the Expo..
ABB/Nampi/Rajib
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Prime Minister's Office
PM greets people on Janmashtami
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has greeted the people on the auspicious occasion of Janmashtami.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said;
"सभी देशवासियों को जन्माष्टमी के पावन-पुनीत अवसर पर हार्दिक शुभकामनाएं। भक्ति और उल्लास का यह उत्सव हर किसी के जीवन में सुख, समृद्धि और सौभाग्य लेकर आए। जय श्रीकृष्ण!"
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
Damage to crops due to Heavy Rains and Floods
The Government of India has constituted IMCTs for 15 States viz. Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Nagaland. IMCTs have visited the affected areas of 13 States for on-the-spot assessment of damages due to floods, 2019.
Based on information received from the State Governments, the details of the agriculture areas, reported to have been damaged due to flood/ landslides/ hydrometrological hazards during South-West monsoon-2019 are as below.
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Reported loss of crops by States due to flood/ landslides/ hydro-metrological hazards during South-West Monsoon-2019
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Provisional 01.06.2019 to 14.11.2019
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Sl.
No.
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State
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Total agriculture area affected

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Assam
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2.14
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Bihar
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2.61
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Chhattisgarh
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0.018
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Karnataka
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9.35
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Kerala
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0.31
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Madhya Pradesh
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6.04
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Maharashtra
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4.17
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Nagaland
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0.02
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Odisha
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1.49
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Punjab
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1.51
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Rajasthan
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27.36
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Tripura
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0.014
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Uttar Pradesh
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8.88
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Uttarakhand
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0.003
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West Bengal
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0.08
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Total
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63.995
This information was given in a written reply by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
Shri Gowda assures adequate supply of Urea to the State of Telangana
Agriculture Minister of Telangana meets Shri Gowda
Against the projected requirement of 2.50 Lakh MT for the month of August Department of Fertilizers has ensured availability of 3.38 Lakh MT to Telangana
Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers Shri D V Sadananda Gowda has said that adequate availability of Fertilizers has been ensured during the ongoing Kharif Season and his Ministry is monitoring the supplies very closely.
Agriculture Minister of Telangana Shri Singireddy Niranjan Reddy met Shri Gowda in New Delhi today regarding availability of urea in Telangana. Shri Reddy said that the sales of urea have seen substantial jump this Kharif season as compared to that of last year on the back of increase in acreage under cultivation in the State. He requested for speeding up supply of urea to Telangana during ongoing month.
Shri Gowda said that Department of Fertilisers is monitoring the urea supplies to the state very closely and as well as through the weekly video conference. There is day to day interaction among officials and every issue highlighted is being addressed on top most priority.
He said, necessary directions have already been issued to ensure the supplies as per the agreed plan which is being monitored closely.
Shri Gowda requested Telangana Government to ensure that data about sales, availability and stocks are updated timely on iFMS dashboard so as to get real picture about availability of fertilizers on real time basis. He assured that supply will be strengthened, and Department will continue to make efforts to ensure urea is available in adequate quantity to the farmers of Telangana as per requirement.
For the State of Telangana, the requirement projected for the entire Kharif 2020 season is 10.00 Lakh Metric Ton. Correspondingly, the requirement from 1st April to 16th August was 6.79 Lakh Metric Ton against which Department of Fertilizers has ensured an availability of 9.04 Lakh MT, including the opening stock of 4.01 Lakh MT.
During the ongoing month of August against the projected requirement of 2.50 Lakh MT. Department of Fertilizers has ensured availability of 3.38 LakhMT . The stock of Urea available as on 16.08.2020 in Telangana is 1.76 Lakh MT which is sufficient to meet the remaining requirement of the current month which is projected as 1.20 Lakh MT.
RCJ/RKM
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Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
Construction of Cold Storages
Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare is implementing Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture  for holistic development of Horticulture in the country, which includes assistance for development of Post Harvest Management  including setting up of cold storages. Under MIDH, Rs. 31.50 crore were allocated to the State of Nagaland during 2016-17, Rs. 41.50 crore in 2017-18 and Rs. 32.00 crore in 2018-19 for various horticulture activities including construction of cold storages. However, the State Government of Nagaland has reported that no funds have been utilised for construction of cold storages during this period.
Further, Ministry of Food Processing Industries  is implementing the Scheme for “Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition Infrastructure” as one of the components of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana with the objective of reducing post-harvest losses of horticulture & non-horticulture produce and providing remunerative price to farmers for their produce.
Under the scheme, MoFPI has approved one cold chain project in Dimapur, Nagaland during 2017-18 with an assistance of Rs.8.10 crore which has been completed and is functional. Another cold chain project in Dimapur, Nagaland has been approved during 2018-19 with an assistance of Rs. 9.67 crore, which is under implementation. No cold chain project was approved for Nagaland by MoFPI during 2016-17.
This information was given in a written reply by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Steel
Mining activities at BSLC to resume after intervention by Steel Ministry
SAIL and RINL agree to provide trade advance
After intervention by Minister of Steel & Petroleum and Natural Gas,Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, the mining activities at BISRA Stone Lime Company Ltd , a limestone mining company, are set to resume soon. This will ensure workers and vendors are not affected whilst proposing relevantmeasures for ensuring ceaseless operations in future.
The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by the Shri Pradhan today.Minister of State for Steel, Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste, Shri Jual Oram, ex-Union Cabinet Minister and MP, Sundergarh, Shri Shankar Oram, MLA, Biramitrapur, senior officials of Ministry and Steel PSUs were present in this meeting organised to facilitate resumption of operations at BSLC.
BSLC, a subsidiary of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd.,has been mining and marketing limestone and dolomite in Sundargarh district of Odisha since 1910.BSLC had to cease operations since last few days due to a cash crunch.The matter was brought to the notice of Member of Parliament and former Union Cabinet Minister Shri Jual Oram and MLA, Biramitrapur Shri Shankar Oram by the affected workers at BSLC. Thereafter the issue was expeditiously taken up at the apex level by Minister.
In today’s meeting, it has been agreed that the operational issues shall be sorted out soon. SAIL and RINL have agreed to provide trade advance and assured purchase of dolomite from BSLC. A long term strategy shall soon be worked out. Operations shall resume this week itself.
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